Gear stolen from ambulance during callout

Police were called to the scene after a defibrillator machine and first-aid gear were stolen from an ambulance.

A 21-year-old man has been charged with stealing a defibrillator machine and first-aid gear from an ambulance while St John paramedics were at a callout in the Far North. The incident occurred in Tikipunga about 1am on Friday.

Sergeant Russell Windle said a 17-year-old teenager was also arrested but had not been charged. The 21-year-old faces a charge of theft from a car and will appear in the Whangarei District Court on Wednesday.

The $40,000 defibrillator machine was recovered a short time later. A police dog was used to locate the alleged offenders.